Ataris retro console gets a new name, but no games

Atari recently changed the name of its upcoming retro console from “Ataribox” to “Atari VCS” and claims to be setting a pre-order date next month. It’s thus far released no other info about the games you’ll be able to play with the console, so why it presumes you’d want to preorder it is anyone’s guess. First reported by VentureBeat, the new name is a reference to a nickname for the Atari 2600, which was originally called the Atari Video Computer System, or VCS. VB also confirmed the console will keep the $250-$300 price point revealed last year. The console was originally revealed last This story continues at The Next Web

HTCs $799 Vive Pro is now available for preorder

HTC today announced its $799 Vive Pro headset is available for preorder with shipping set to begin April 5th. If the most expensive consumer VR headset to date doesn’t tempt you, the company is also dropping the current Vive headset by $100 to $499. With games like Skyrim and Ark Park set to release on the platform soon it’s a good time to get in on the VR craze. The Vive Pro was revealed earlier this year at CES with a laundry list of upgraded features: Two OLED screens at 2880×1600 resolution give the Pro a 78 percent increase over This story continues at The Next WebOr just read more coverage about: HTC

Kids are struggling to hold pens, but is handwriting still fit for a digital age?

Back in 2011, a video of a one-year-old baby girl attempting to swipe on a glossy magazine like it was an iPad went viral. Depending on your viewpoint, the spectacle was either adorable or completely frightening. For many, it highlighted how digital natives were beginning to consume media in an entirely new way. Fast-forward a few years, and once again traditionalists have provided another stark warning. Sally Payne, a head pediatric occupational therapist, recently told the Guardian newspaper that children were arriving at school without the fundamental movement skills needed to grip a pencil and move it. As our children This story continues at The Next Web

Got questions for the builder of the largest farmer-to-farmer network? Kenny Ewan is joining us on TNW Answers

What are the most pressing problems farmers face today, and how can a peer-to-peer network solve them? What can a farmer in Uganda learn from one in Kenya? What potential does emerging technologies like machine learning and the blockchain have for improving the global farming industry? Ask all this and more to digital farming czar, Kenny Ewan. Ewan is the Founder CEO of Wefarm, the world’s largest farmer-to-farmer digital network. It connects farmers via free SMS to Wefarm’s 660,000 farmer-strong global online network, where others can respond with useful, crowd-sourced knowledge. There are 500 million smallholder farmers in the world, and This story continues at The Next Web

Internet Archive emulator bring dozens of handheld games back from obscurity

Over the weekend, the Internet Archive announced it was offering a new series of emulators. This time, they’re designed to mimic one of gaming’s most obscure artifacts — handheld games. When I say a “handheld game,” I don’t mean the Game Boy or the PSP — those are handheld consoles. These are single-game handheld or tabletop devices that look and feel more like toys. The collection includes the very old, mostly-forgotten games sold in mini-handhelds from the 80s onward. You might be able to recognize a few of these devices — the Tamagotchi, for example. Others are decidedly more esoteric. I This story continues at The Next Web

A self-driving car killed a pedestrian for the first time last night

It’s a moment we all feared was coming, but were hoping we wouldn’t have to see. Last night, a self-driving car killed a woman in Tempe, Arizona. As far as we can tell, it’s the first time a driverless car – operated by Uber – has killed a pedestrian. According to the New York Times, the vehicle was in autonomous mode, but had a human safety driver at the wheel. The incident occured last night, although it’s not clear if it was monday or Sunday. Uber has suspended it’s self-driving vehicles program for the time being. One of the biggest promises This story continues at The Next Web

Mastercard will support cryptocurrencies as long as theyre backed by governments

It seems Mastercard is gradually softening its stance on cryptocurrency, after CEO Ajay Banga downplayed non-government mandated digital currencies as “junk” back in October last year. In a conversation with Financial Times, Ari Sarkar, Mastercard co-president for the Asia-Pacific region, said the company is open to explore cryptocurrencies created and backed by governments. “If governments look to create national digital currency we’d be very happy to look at those in a more favourable way [compared with existing cryptocurrencies],” Sarkar told Financial Times. “So long as it’s backed by a regulator and […] it is not anonymous, it is meeting all This story continues at The Next Web

TNWs Big Spam: Too much peen for a Monday?

Today, blockchain wizard Alex Mashinsky is joining us on TNW Answers. Have you asked your questions yet??? Top trending tech news: ???? Whistleblower Christopher Wylie came forward to reveal Facebook users’ data was obtained and kept by Cambridge Analytica, a data firm which helped Trump win the 2016 presidential election (The Guardian) ???? … and now Zuck is in hot water over failing to inform users (BBC) ???? Twitter suspended Wylie’s account (TechCrunch) What we’re talking about: We really shouldn’t worry about robots taking our jobs… in fact, we should be giving them all the jobs. “Once untrustworthy, always restricted.” No, that’s not a Black Mirror episode title or text from your mother. China This story continues at The Next Web